Prostate enlargement, with the resulting restriction of urine flow, is a health issue that will affect a large majority of men as they age. Drugs; herbal therapy; stints; thermal or microwave tissue reduction; laser tissue removal; or surgical tissue removal are possible corrections for an enlarged prostate. So to is lifelong dependency on intermittent catheter use, for those not agreeable to, or suited for, the above treatments.
The present invention has as an objective being a more convenient, less costly and less dangerous correction of the symptoms of prostate enlargement compared to some of the treatments presently being used. And such will correct the symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia without severely interfering with a man's reproductive capacity, nor his sexual performance.
The present application, as well as the apt earlier patent application by this inventor, has a user-actuated valve that will allow urine to flow on demand. That is in contrast to having continuous-drip urine flow into a bag, as with a Foley catheter. The latter is retained inside the bladder via a fluid-inflated bulb. The improvements inherent in the present invention relate mainly to the means of retaining the valved catheter inside the bladder; the way in which the catheter is inserted and removed; and having the flow valve be very compact so as to reduce bruising of the adjacent body tissues.
For the purpose of this patent application, it should be assumed that the suggested product construction materials will conform to, or surpass, the standards of health and safety recommended for products that remain in contact with body tissue. It should be noted, however, that this invention isn't a surgical implant, but is a product that can be inserted and removed by the user, without expected difficulty nor complications.